Livorno to Florence not Pisa

[Cobbydale]

Hi there, been searching for a reliable way to go to Florence from a cruise ship. Time is a factor & we are a bit concerned about the trains/timing. I found shoreexcursions group but n/a on our reqd day..... at least so far. We dont want a guided tour as we have already done that. Any suggestions?

Cheers

[CruiserBruce]

Does your ship have the transportation option...the one that takes you to a certain point in the city drops you off, and picks you up at that location at a fixed time?

[John Bull]

You should have no concerns about train timetabling. 

But the TrenItalia website is awful and do double-check return times when you get to the station.

Your stations are Livorno Centrale and Firenze SM. Direct trains approx hourly & the station in Florence is right on the edge of the ancient city centre.

 

The problem is from ship to Livorno centrale.

Most ships provide payable shuttles to the city centre but that's not convenient to the station and you then have to take a local bus. Not difficult, but time-consuming.

Do check whether your ship provides a shuttle from ship to station. Most don;t but NCL centainly did.

We took a taxi from ship to station a few years back - €25  but most taxis carry 8 & we shared with others on the quayside so it was only €4 each including an (unnecessary) decent tip.   

But others on CC have said getting a taxi on the quayside was difficult cos the drivers want longer trips.

Taxi rank at Livorno Centrale so no problem getting back tho we had no sharers.

BTW Italian trains have an over-hyped reputation for industrial action. But there are no "wildcat" strikes, and you can double-check a few days in advance. 

 

There certainly are seat-in-bus trips to Florence, so keep digging.

And have you checked your RollCall for invitations to share?

 

JB 

[dogs4fun]

You could also get a group together on your roll call. We used Tuscany by Taxi - we got a group of 8 together on our roll call & spent the day in Florence. It was very affordable - our driver met us at the ship and returned us to the ship at the end of our day. No tour was involved - we did our own thing in Florence as we have visited multiple times.

http://www.tuscanybytaxi.it/

[mapleleaves]

what is your port time ?

We found that the trains to be very convenient,  running about twice an hour. 

Tuscany Bus has transportation only, but only once a day so I don't know if it works for your port times. 

[cruisemom42]

There is an express bus service used frequently by cruisers to get from Livorno to Florence or Florence/Pisa. It departs from the central piazza in Livorno where many cruise ship shuttles drop passengers. I haven't used it, but it may be worth looking into -- the name is Tuscany Bus:  https://www.tuscanybus.com/en/home.aspx?lang=ENG

 

You get about 4.5 hours in Florence, which isn't a lot. Depending on your particular ship's arrival and departure times, using the train may give you more time, although the return train timings in the afternoon are less than ideal for cruisers with early evening departures. So it can end up being a wash as to whether the bus or the train gives you more time....

[Cobbydale]

I have put it on the roll call as yet no other travellers, early days maybe. I understand getting into Livorno is also ‘tricky’.... & we need a shuttle to get out of the port. We are with NCL & sail away time is 7pm

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Cobbydale said:

I have put it on the roll call as yet no other travellers, early days maybe. I understand getting into Livorno is also ‘tricky’.... & we need a shuttle to get out of the port. We are with NCL & sail away time is 7pm

 

Getting into Livorno isn't tricky with NCL -- they have a shuttle (unlike most lines) that goes right to the train station. There is a charge associated, but if you were to take one of the (predatory) taxis that offer to take passengers the short distance, you'd be looking at a 25 euro fare -- that's IF they agree to take you (most of them want full day tours).

[mapleleaves]

We were on the EPIC in Sept, and stopped in Livorno.   They offered a shuttle that went directly from the port to the train station.   Maybe $20 pp..  Much easier than messing around with 2 different buses to get there.

[mapleleaves]

The NCL shuttle from the ship to the train station was $15 pp , RT.  They affixed a red sticky to our ship's ID card as proof of pymt. 

There was a bus was waiting at the train station when we were returned from Florence.

[Cobbydale]

Thank you everyone..... sounds like NCL are quite accommodating outside of ‘their excursions’. 

I think we are fortunate to get so many responses.

Thank you again M

[schmoopie17]

Do you need to buy train tickets in advance? I would imagine the train would be packed with ship passengers wanting to get to Florence.

Edited November 4, 2019 by schmoopie17

[Cobbydale]

I don’t think so but yes my concern was the numbers, the timing of the trains & reaching the Livorno station from the port.

I have commenced a booking with www.ItalyTours.EU for a semi private tour with guide, once we reach x 8 pax the tour will proceed at a cost of €99.00 pp. This is very good value. I am finding this site a tad tricky to work out but the thread is on the ‘roll call for the Getaway’.

ItalyTours have been terrific to deal with, prompt with their responses & a guarantee of returning to the ship on time.

If you  are interested have a look at my post.

[mapleleaves]

We were on the Sept 15 Epic sailing from Barcelona.  Didn't buy any of our train tickets in advance .... we went to Rome, Florence/Pisa, and Nice (from Cannes).  

[counsdr]

We will be on the Getaway October 22, 2020 sailing. Are y’all saying that when we dock in Livorno, we then take a shuttle to the train station and then have to take a train ride into Florence???

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, counsdr said:

We will be on the Getaway October 22, 2020 sailing. Are y’all saying that when we dock in Livorno, we then take a shuttle to the train station and then have to take a train ride into Florence???

Livorno is located about 90 km from Florence - the train is one method of reaching Florence (NCL offers a shuttle to the train station for a fee). You do not have to take the train - you can book a private or shared transfer to Florence, Pisa, Lucca, etc. You can also book an excursion. 

[Beanb41]

We have done this trip twice. Left the ship by taxi (25 euros) which we shared with Roll Call members. Taxis take 8 people. Left around 7.30  first off the ship. Caught the 8.12 train to Florence arriving around 9.30. We returned on the 3.00pm train arriving back in Livorno around 4.00pm. Pisa is a train stop on this line if you want to stop there.

Tickets we purchased on line about 9 euros each way. On line tickets don't need to be validated. There is a generous time allowance if you miss a particular train. From Livorno station cab back to the ship with those we left with in the morning. Pretty much stress free.